Former Queensland Reds player Peter Fleming last year lost everything in a house fire in Einasleigh, 380km west of Townsville, in North Queensland.
Among the items destroyed was his prized rugby blazer, awarded for his selection as an Australian Schoolboys forward on the 1969 tour to South Africa, as well as his 1972 appearance in the back row for Queensland.
Member for Traeger Robbie Katter learned of the loss while chatting with Mr Fleming on the porch of the Einasleigh Hotel when “checking in” on residents in his electorate following the fire.
That conversation prompted Mr Katter to contact the Queensland Rugby Union, which in turn worked with partner Ringers Western to organise replacements.
The result was a formal presentation at Parliament House in Brisbane this week, where the 73-year-old received a new blue blazer bearing the QRU emblem, courtesy of Ringers Western co-founder Matteo Salerno.
He also received a new honour cap as Reds player number 868, presented by current Reds lock Josh Canham.
“I met Peter in Einasleigh, a beautiful little place in the middle of nowhere and he told me how he lost all of his worldly possessions,” Mr Katter said.
“He said, ‘The one thing that really gets to me is losing my representative blazer.’ The QRU and Ringers Western came to the rescue and here we are today.”
Mr Fleming said he was deeply appreciative of the gesture following the losses he endured in the fire.
“I’m very grateful,” he said.
“The house, car, quad bike, old jerseys, everything . . . it all went in the fire.”
Despite the hardship, Mr Fleming remained upbeat about the replacement blazer ahead of local events.
“I’m (now) right for Fashions on the Field!”
Mr Fleming was a boarder at Marist College Ashgrove when selected for the inaugural Australian Schoolboys tour to South Africa, where he was billeted in Pretoria by then prime minister John Vorster.
He later played first grade for Brothers Rugby Club in 1972 alongside internationals Chris Handy, David Dunworth, Dick Cocks and Jeff McLean.
